Go Long by Tiki Barber Summary: When Coach Spangler leaves at the start of their second year of junior high school, thirteen-year-old twins Tiki and Ronde wonder if his replacement, history teacher Mr. Wheeler, can coach the Eagles to another winning football season.
Lexile: 770
Comments:
Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty
Summary: Twelve-year-old Lily mourns her brother, and has not spoken since the accident she feels she could of prevented, but the summer Tinny comes to town she is the only one who realizes Lily's secret.
Lexile: 840
Comments:
The Hero Revealed by William Boniface
Summary: Ordinary Boy, the only resident of Superopolis without a superpower, uncovers and foils a sinister plot to destroy the town.
Lexile: 890
Comments:
The Daring Nellie Bly by Bonnie Christensen
Summary: Introduces the life of Nellie Bly who, as a "stunt reporter" for the New York World newspaper in the late 1800s, championed women's rights and traveled around the world faster than anyone ever had.
Lexile: 970
Comments:
Impetuous R by Jane Leslie Conley
Summary: Some brave young cockroaches that live in an old jazz club secretly help Troy, the elderly owner's grandson, save Pop's Corner from foreclosure by the bank.
Lexile: 640
Comments:
Gandhi by Demi
Summary: Presents the story of the great leader who succeeded in bringing about social and political change in India through nonviolent means.
Lexile: TBD
Comments:
Hanne's Quest by Olivier Dunrea
Summary: On an island off the coast of Scotland, a young hen must prove herself pure, wise, and brave in a quest to help her beloved owner, Mem Pocket, from losing her family's farm.
Lexile: 680
Comments:
The Golly Whopper Games by Jody Feldman
Summary: Twelve-year-old Gil Goodson competes against thousands of other children at extraordinary puzzles, stunts, and more in hopes of a fresh start for his family, which has been ostracized since his father was falsely accused of embezzling from Golly Toy and Game Company.
Lexile: 590
Comments:
Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff
Summary: When Sam, who can barely read, discovers an old newspaper clipping just before his eleventh birthday, it brings forth memories from his past, and, with the help of a new friend at school and the castle they are building for a school project, his questions are eventually answered.
Lexile: 600
Comments:
Moxy Maxwell Does Note Love Writing Thnak you Notes by Peggy Elizabeth Gifford
Summary: Ten-year-old Moxy Maxwell has promised to write twelve thank-you notes by the day after Christmas so that she and her twin brother Mark can go to Hollywood to visit their father, but all her brilliant ideas to help finish the task more efficiently end up creating chaos in the house.
Lexile: TBD
Comments:
Nightmare at the Bookfair by Dan Gutman
Summary: When fifth-grader Trip Dinkleman, who does not like to read very much, is hit on the head by a heavy box and becomes a character in a series of different books--from a sports story to a science fiction novel to an adventure tale--his view of reading is changed forever.
Lexile: 610
Comments:
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Summary: When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.
Lexile: 750
Comments:
Deep, Dark, and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn
Summary: When thirteen-year-old Ali spends the summer with her aunt and cousin at the family's vacation home, she stumbles upon a secret that her mother and aunt have been hiding for over thirty years.
Lexile: 650
Comments:
The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle: Solving a Mystery of Ancient Egypt by Claudia Logan
Summary: A fictionalized account of the excavation of a secret tomb at Giza, Egypt, in 1925, told through the experiences of a young boy who accompanies his father on an archeological dig.
Lexile: 900
Comments:
Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
Summary: In this tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, the four Willoughby children set about to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.
Lexile: 790
Comments: Not too impressive --wonderful vocabulary though --Rati
Being Teddy Roosevelt by Claudia Mills
Summary: When he is assigned TeddyRoosevelt as his biography project in school, fourth-grader Riley finds himself inspired by Roosevelt's tenacity and perseverance and resolves to find a way to get what he most wants--a saxophone and music lessons.
Lexile: 670
Comments:
We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson
Summary: Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through the decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. Illustrations from oil paintings by artist Kadir Nelson.
Lexile: 900
Comments:
Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell Summary: When her brother is sent to fight in Vietnam, twelve-year-old Jamie begins to reconsider the Army world that she has grown up in.
Lexile: 890
Comments:
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins
Summary: In her Bangladesh village, ten-year-old Naimi excels at painting designs called alpanas, but to help her impoverished family financially she would have to be a boy--or disguise herself as one.
Lexile: 730
Comments: Loved it --talks about empwoerment of girls along with being multicultural-Rati
Abe's Honest Words by Doreen Rappaport
Summary: Describes the life of our sixteenth president, a self-taught man whose compassion and honesty gradually earned him the trust of many Americans and eventually a seat in the highest office of the United States.
Lexile 820
Comments:
Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka
Summary: Babysitting mishaps, lazy summer days by the lake, and silly childhood pranks are remembered in this amusing memoir of the life of an adventurous young boy growing up in a family with six brothers.
Lexile: TBD
Comments:
Canned by Alex Shearer
Summary: Fergal Banfield, an eccentric lad who collects cans, is surprised to find some unexpected--and even alarming--things in a few of his treasures, and when he meets Charlotte, another collector, they begin an investigation that leads them into dangerous territory.
Lexile: 630
Comments:
The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
Summary: After a fire kills her parents, eleven-year-old Martine must leave England to live with her grandmother on a wildlife game reserve in South Africa, where she befriends a mythical whitegiraffe.
Lexile: 940
Comments:Loved this --can see kids getting into this-Rati
Listen! by Stephanie Tolan
Summary: During her solitary convalescence from a crippling accident, twelve-year-old Charley finds a wild dog, and the arduous process of training him leads her to explore her feelings about her mother's death two years earlier.
Lexile: 910
Comments:
Oggie Cooder by Sarah Weeks
Summary: Quirky fourth-grader OggieCooder goes from being shunned to everyone's best friend when his uncanny ability to chew slices of cheese into the shapes of states wins him a slot on a popular television talent show, but he soon learns the perils of being a celebrity--and having a neighbor girl as his manager.
Lexile: 880
Comments:
Leepike Ridge by Nathan Wilson
Summary: While his widowed mother continues to search for him, eleven-year-old Tom, presumed dead after drifting away down a river, finds himself trapped in a series of underground caves with another survivor and a dog, and pursued by murderous treasure-hunters.
Lexile: 780
Comments:
Colonial Voices--Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters
Summary: As Ethan, a printer's errand boy, runs through Boston in 1773 delivering a message about an important Patriots meeting, readers learn about the occupations of colonial workers and their differing opinions about living under Britain's rule.
Lexile: 640
Comments:
2010 Nominations
Go Long by Tiki Barber
Summary: When Coach Spangler leaves at the start of their second year of junior high school, thirteen-year-old twins Tiki and Ronde wonder if his replacement, history teacher Mr. Wheeler, can coach the Eagles to another winning football season.
Lexile: 770
Comments:
Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty
Summary: Twelve-year-old Lily mourns her brother, and has not spoken since the accident she feels she could of prevented, but the summer Tinny comes to town she is the only one who realizes Lily's secret.
Lexile: 840
Comments:
The Hero Revealed by William Boniface
Summary: Ordinary Boy, the only resident of Superopolis without a superpower, uncovers and foils a sinister plot to destroy the town.
Lexile: 890
Comments:
The Daring Nellie Bly by Bonnie Christensen
Summary: Introduces the life of Nellie Bly who, as a "stunt reporter" for the New York World newspaper in the late 1800s, championed women's rights and traveled around the world faster than anyone ever had.
Lexile: 970
Comments:
Impetuous R by Jane Leslie Conley
Summary: Some brave young cockroaches that live in an old jazz club secretly help Troy, the elderly owner's grandson, save Pop's Corner from foreclosure by the bank.
Lexile: 640
Comments:
Gandhi by Demi
Summary: Presents the story of the great leader who succeeded in bringing about social and political change in India through nonviolent means.
Lexile: TBD
Comments:
Hanne's Quest by Olivier Dunrea
Summary: On an island off the coast of Scotland, a young hen must prove herself pure, wise, and brave in a quest to help her beloved owner, Mem Pocket, from losing her family's farm.
Lexile: 680
Comments:
The Golly Whopper Games by Jody Feldman
Summary: Twelve-year-old Gil Goodson competes against thousands of other children at extraordinary puzzles, stunts, and more in hopes of a fresh start for his family, which has been ostracized since his father was falsely accused of embezzling from Golly Toy and Game Company.
Lexile: 590
Comments:
Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff
Summary: When Sam, who can barely read, discovers an old newspaper clipping just before his eleventh birthday, it brings forth memories from his past, and, with the help of a new friend at school and the castle they are building for a school project, his questions are eventually answered.
Lexile: 600
Comments:
Moxy Maxwell Does Note Love Writing Thnak you Notes by Peggy Elizabeth Gifford
Summary: Ten-year-old Moxy Maxwell has promised to write twelve thank-you notes by the day after Christmas so that she and her twin brother Mark can go to Hollywood to visit their father, but all her brilliant ideas to help finish the task more efficiently end up creating chaos in the house.
Lexile: TBD
Comments:
Nightmare at the Bookfair by Dan Gutman
Summary: When fifth-grader Trip Dinkleman, who does not like to read very much, is hit on the head by a heavy box and becomes a character in a series of different books--from a sports story to a science fiction novel to an adventure tale--his view of reading is changed forever.
Lexile: 610
Comments:
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Summary: When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.
Lexile: 750
Comments:
Deep, Dark, and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn
Summary: When thirteen-year-old Ali spends the summer with her aunt and cousin at the family's vacation home, she stumbles upon a secret that her mother and aunt have been hiding for over thirty years.
Lexile: 650
Comments:
The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle: Solving a Mystery of Ancient Egypt by Claudia Logan
Summary: A fictionalized account of the excavation of a secret tomb at Giza, Egypt, in 1925, told through the experiences of a young boy who accompanies his father on an archeological dig.
Lexile: 900
Comments:
Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
Summary: In this tongue-in-cheek take on classic themes in children's literature, the four Willoughby children set about to become "deserving orphans" after their neglectful parents embark on a treacherous around-the-world adventure, leaving them in the care of an odious nanny.
Lexile: 790
Comments: Not too impressive --wonderful vocabulary though --Rati
Being Teddy Roosevelt by Claudia Mills
Summary: When he is assigned Teddy Roosevelt as his biography project in school, fourth-grader Riley finds himself inspired by Roosevelt's tenacity and perseverance and resolves to find a way to get what he most wants--a saxophone and music lessons.
Lexile: 670
Comments:
We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson
Summary: Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through the decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. Illustrations from oil paintings by artist Kadir Nelson.
Lexile: 900
Comments:
Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Summary: When her brother is sent to fight in Vietnam, twelve-year-old Jamie begins to reconsider the Army world that she has grown up in.
Lexile: 890
Comments:
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins
Summary: In her Bangladesh village, ten-year-old Naimi excels at painting designs called alpanas, but to help her impoverished family financially she would have to be a boy--or disguise herself as one.
Lexile: 730
Comments: Loved it --talks about empwoerment of girls along with being multicultural-Rati
Abe's Honest Words by Doreen Rappaport
Summary: Describes the life of our sixteenth president, a self-taught man whose compassion and honesty gradually earned him the trust of many Americans and eventually a seat in the highest office of the United States.
Lexile 820
Comments:
Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka
Summary: Babysitting mishaps, lazy summer days by the lake, and silly childhood pranks are remembered in this amusing memoir of the life of an adventurous young boy growing up in a family with six brothers.
Lexile: TBD
Comments:
Canned by Alex Shearer
Summary: Fergal Banfield, an eccentric lad who collects cans, is surprised to find some unexpected--and even alarming--things in a few of his treasures, and when he meets Charlotte, another collector, they begin an investigation that leads them into dangerous territory.
Lexile: 630
Comments:
The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
Summary: After a fire kills her parents, eleven-year-old Martine must leave England to live with her grandmother on a wildlife game reserve in South Africa, where she befriends a mythical white giraffe.
Lexile: 940
Comments:Loved this --can see kids getting into this-Rati
Listen! by Stephanie Tolan
Summary: During her solitary convalescence from a crippling accident, twelve-year-old Charley finds a wild dog, and the arduous process of training him leads her to explore her feelings about her mother's death two years earlier.
Lexile: 910
Comments:
Oggie Cooder by Sarah Weeks
Summary: Quirky fourth-grader Oggie Cooder goes from being shunned to everyone's best friend when his uncanny ability to chew slices of cheese into the shapes of states wins him a slot on a popular television talent show, but he soon learns the perils of being a celebrity--and having a neighbor girl as his manager.
Lexile: 880
Comments:
Leepike Ridge by Nathan Wilson
Summary: While his widowed mother continues to search for him, eleven-year-old Tom, presumed dead after drifting away down a river, finds himself trapped in a series of underground caves with another survivor and a dog, and pursued by murderous treasure-hunters.
Lexile: 780
Comments:
Colonial Voices--Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters
Summary: As Ethan, a printer's errand boy, runs through Boston in 1773 delivering a message about an important Patriots meeting, readers learn about the occupations of colonial workers and their differing opinions about living under Britain's rule.
Lexile: 640
Comments:
Other Suggestions:
Sahara Special by Esme Raje Codell
http://www.amazon.com/Sahara-Special-Esme-Raji-Codell/dp/0786816112/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235676356&sr=1-1
Any Small Goodness by Tony Johnston
http://www.amazon.com/Any-Small-Goodness-Novel-Barrio/dp/0439233844/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235676453&sr=1-1
I also read Hate that Cat by Sharon Creech --great sequel to Love that Dog and is totally in prose--Rati